One could reasonably assume a Tennessee state song should talk about the natural beauty and cultural significance of the state that houses Music City and the Home of the Blues (Nashville and Memphis, respectively). Songs about growing and selling drugs that are illegal in the Volunteer State never exactly screamed “state anthem” until the spring of 2023.
The 113th General Assembly of Tennessee voted in a new state song to join the ranks of “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top” on April 20, 2023. The smokers in the room are already seeing the next hazy layer of irony here.
The Criminal Irony Of The Tennessee State Song
We don’t often think about state songs including lyrics about activities that are illegal within that state. But in the spring of 2023, Tennessee changed what constitutes an appropriate state anthem forever when they elected Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” as another one of its official songs. Yes, that “Copperhead Road,” the one recounting John Lee Pettimore’s transition from the Vietnam War to growing marijuana up a holler down Copperhead Road (a continuation of the Pettimore family business of moonshining).
The title track off Steve Earle’s 1988 album is undoubtedly a banger and the country rock star’s most commercially successful hit. But as a Tennessee state song, we can’t help but chuckle at the irony of the legislature’s decision. With the rare and confusing exception of low-THC products, marijuana is still illegal in Tennessee at the time of this writing. And while moonshine production is legal in the Volunteer State, that doesn’t apply to the individual level. John Lee Pettimore’s granddaddy was breaking the law too, basically…